Forbidden Feast / Chapter 5: Rule-Bending Rivals
Forbidden Feast

Forbidden Feast

Author: Keith Matthews

Chapter 5: Rule-Bending Rivals

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Lucas worked like a pro—his sweet potato chicken soup and kale rib soup were almost done. Sophia and Jake whipped up side dishes, their counter looking straight out of a magazine.

Brooklyn snapped into game mode. “Let’s fry up some blue cheese bites so we don’t get crushed!”

I nodded. “Heck yes—fried blue cheese and sauerkraut! If all else fails, deep-fry it.”

We hustled to finish, then carried our dishes to the long table for judging. I set down three plates, my mouth watering at the sight of Lucas’s soups. My stomach rumbled so loud, Brooklyn gave me a look.

Jake and Sophia brought up more dishes. “Deviled quail eggs,” Jake announced. “And more,” Sophia added, lining up kale salad, mashed sweet potatoes, and then—like a magician pulling scarves—more and more plates. “Kale chicken soup, sweet potato rib soup, quail egg chicken soup, quail egg rib soup, vegetable chicken soup, vegetable rib soup. That’s eight more than you guys!”

I stared at Sophia, feeling like I’d just lost at Monopoly to someone who bought up every railroad. Even Lucas seemed shocked, his chopsticks frozen midair.

Sophia winked at Lucas. “Don’t worry, I checked the rules—this is all allowed.”

Jake gave her a thumbs up. “Genius! We get all the task props!”

I let out a laugh. “So you’re just doing math problems now? Is this the SAT or a cooking show?”

Sophia shot back, “We won, Natalie. Don’t be a sore loser.”

Brooklyn’s accent thickened as she rolled up her sleeves. “You wanna run your mouth, Sophia?”

Sophia stuck out her tongue. “Sorry, Brooklyn, it’s just a game. Don’t take it so hard~”

Brooklyn looked ready to throw down. I grabbed her arm, feeling her muscles tense, and stared Sophia down. “It’s not about letting you win. This just feels like cheating.”

Sophia shrugged. “Not really. We just have more points.”

I pressed my lips together. “So now we get nothing for tomorrow’s challenge?”

Sophia gave a faux innocent shrug. “What do you want to do about it?”

The crew looked nervous. I grabbed some empty bowls and lined them up, making a show of it. “Don’t blame me for what happens next.”

I scooped sauerkraut into a bowl. “German sauerkraut.”

Poured water over sauerkraut. “Sauerkraut soup.”

Poured water over green onion. “Green onion soup.”

Added water to blue cheese. “Blue cheese soup.”

Added water to tripe. “Tripe soup.”

I set the kettle down with a flourish. “Now we’ve got eight dishes—120 points. You have eleven—110 points. Guess we win.”

Sophia’s smile cracked. “Natalie, are you serious?”

The chat went off:

[LOL Natalie’s just making water soup now?]

[Tripe soup?! Blue cheese soup?! I’m dead 😂]

[Things are about to get spicy…]

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